Thursday, February 23, 2012

Flying Babies and Smarty Pants

It is no wonder I am tired ALL THE TIME. My kids are so full of beans and zip that I rarely get a few minutes to sit down, clear my mind, and breath.

Jake the Peanut: I can't believe he is going to be 1 year old in another 2 weeks or so. Has it really been a year?

Grandma holds new baby Jake

Taken last week

Well, now that I compare the pictures, I guess it has been that long! It seems with every kid I have the faster they grow up!

My problem with this little guy is that he is the master of art of escape. That little face may LOOK totally innocent, but he sports a mean tuck, roll, and flip that only a skilled baby can possibly pull off. Sad thing is, the only one he is hurting is himself. There is no such thing as "safe" parental supervision when working with this little guy. He is so fast he puts Houdini to shame.

Lately, he has taken it upon himself to test gravity to it limits. Twice this week, when I have been holding him, he did something very sneaky and fast (my mind is still trying to wrap around how he pulled it off), and before I knew it, Jake was airborne flying out of my arms. The first time I didn't have time to react and he face-planted it on the carpet. That was not a happy moment. The second time, I caught him by the ankle inches from the ground... he thought it was great fun, I didn't. After my heart calmed down, I told him if he ever tried to bungee jump out of my arms again, I was going to be really mad and he wouldn't get any juice for a week! (The ultimate threat to a little guy!)

Changing his diaper is a family affair. One to hold his legs, one to hold his arms, and one to change the diaper. It's like a bad light bulb joke... and the joke's on us! Sometimes, I have to do it myself, like when everyone is at school. Last week was one of those days. So there I was, changing him on my bed (which I should have known better) and I was wiping some nasty poop off when all the sudden he flew past me and belly flopped on the carpet. What the...?! Not only was he super unhappy, but his poop flew farther than he did and I ended up cleaning it off the bedspread and floor... and there was even some in his hair.

Nephi: As much as I love my little red head, he is so serious and shy, that he just goes with the flow of life and doesn't really do much but keep to himself and tattle on Sam. I think he is going through some middle child issues, so I make an effort to have Mommy-Nephi time a couple times a week. After we take Sam to school, I even take Nephi to get a Slurpee before I drop him at pre-school -- it's his special treat and heaven forbid I forget to stop there! (I did that once and it broke his heart).

This little guy, does say some funny stuff. He doesn't mean to be funny, but it still comes out that way. Nephi has a life plan and he reminds me of it every day. First off, he is going to be a dad (once he told me that he wanted to be one so he could be mean to little kids too -- this prompted a "discussion" with Ben that ended with me saying, "They are your kids not your soldiers!") . Secondly, he is going to be an "Army guy". He asks me every now and then if he can go "enlist" yet (and yes, he knows that word!). What I love the most about Nephi is his compassion and kindness towards all people. He is my little buddy and I cherish all the fun times we have together.

Sam the Man: What more can I say about this kid that you already don't know? This boy continues to amaze me as he fights his disability (speech and language impairments) and seems to beat the odds over and over again. Every little milestone is a miracle to us! It totally blows my mind when I see the kind of stuff he is learning in his charter school. My hopes to begin with, were that he would just get the chance to learn the way he learns and people wouldn't underestimate him because of his speech skills. But what I got was so much better! As a kindergartner, Sam is telling time, counting money, doing fractions, reading and reciting poems. I got a call from his primary teacher telling me that on Sunday he tried to teach the kids in his class (many of them 1st graders) how to add double digits. The kids didn't believe him and started teasing him, but his teacher, after getting over her initial shock that a kindergartner was doing that, straightened the kids right out and told them that Sammy was right! (I love it when people stand up for my little guys!)

And what a goof! There isn't a serious bone in this kid's whole body! Check out these family pictures we has taken last fall:

I love being a mom. There is no university in the world that can teach me more than my little guys can. I am learning something new every day as I watch them grow and figure out life. I wouldn't have it any other way.